Sonya Dakers

Eng215

Strayer University

Healths disparities in the African American community are nearly double that of any other ethnic group in South Carolina. The reasons may be lack of health care availability or maybe the lack of knowledge. Many African Americans have the mindset that what we do not know will not harm us, but what we do not know will kill us. It is important to realize that the need for prevention is great. Breast and Prostate Cancer screening programs, educational programs that show the effects of second hand smoke on our community and the importance of nutrition are desperately needed. This paper will argue the reasons why more African American faith based organizations should become involved in the health and well-being of their participants. The intended audience is Pastors, Bishops, Deacons, and congregations’ in general. Some believe that God made us in His image so we should not only focus on the spiritual aspect of worship but also on the physical aspects as well. A Pastor once said that an unhealthy member cannot focus on tithing or on God’s business because they are focusing on their own agenda. The African American faith based community must come together to eliminate health disparities not only to help their congregations to focus on the spiritual, but to become better people in an ever growing global economy.

Recent studies show the effects of dieases on the general population of South Carolina and the nation. We are bombarded daily with facts about living healthier lifestyles and the effects of unhealthy habits. First Lady Michelle Obama has started an initiative to fight childhood obesity. An interesting fact is that there is a great difference in the mortality of Caucasian individuals and those of African American decent. A fact sheet written by the South Carolina Cancer Disparities Community Network, adapted for the State Baptist Young Women’s Auxiliary, shows that breast cancer is the most common cancer among African American women and South Carolina ranks 19th in the nation in female breast cancer mortality (In Our Hands, 2008). Although more Caucasian women are diagnosed with the disease, African American women are 1.5 times more likely to die from this diease(2008). Why is this happening? Why is it the African American men in South Carolina have a prostate cancer death rate two point five times higher than their Caucasian counterparts (In Our Hands, 2009). The National Cancer Institute states that out of one hundred thousand individuals, two hundred and thirty-eight point eight African Americans will die of cancer while one hundred and ninety point seven Caucasians will die from the same causes(2008). Recent studies have shown that many African Americans in the state do not have access to health care or the financial means to pay for it. It has also been shown that many health care providers do not know how to communicate with these individuals so the information is not conveyed properly. Many South Carolinians live in rural areas and do not have the education needed to understand what needs to be conveyed to them.

In the winter 2008 edition of In Our Hands, a newsletter distributed by the South Carolina Cancer Disparities Community Network, Mrs. Deloris Smith tells her story of dealing with the healthcare community. In 1997, Smith’s husband experienced extreme symptoms of a heart attack for a period of nine days. Smith repeatedly attempted to explain the severity of the symptoms to the physician’s office and tried to make an appointment for her husband to be assessed by the physician. Even though she felt that an immediate response was needed, she was given an appointment date that was sixty days away. Shortly afer her failed attempt, Smith’s husband suffered a massive heart attack and had to undergo bypass surgery. Smith truely feels that her husband’s heart attack may have been prevented if they had been given the proper treatment in a more timely manner. The Commission to End Health Care Disparities has implemented ten core priciples to address health care disparities, stating that the way to fight disparities shoud be: (1) Relationship centered, (2) culturally and linquistically appropriate,(3) Targeted, (4) Data-driven, (5) Transparent, (6) Both long and short term, (7) Comprehensive, (8) Judicious in the use of incentives and requirements, (9) Fiscally responsible and bi-partisan, and (10) Monitored and revised(August 2007). This is where the importance of the faith-based community lies. In the African American community, the church has always been a place of refuge, a place in which African Americans could turn to when they needed advice or a helping hand. The African American faith-based community must come together to eliminate health disparities not only to help their congreations to focus on the spiritual, but to become better people in an ever growing global economy.

Breast and Prostate cancer are two of the leading causes of death among African Americans in the state. We seem to succomb to the diease more rapidly than any other ethnic group. We have all seen and heard of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer research. In October the country turns pink. Even the National Football League shows support for this endevour by wearing touches of pink on their uniforms and some players wear pink shoes. Even though many women and men are affected by this diease, we still take it for granted. The Witness Project was brought to South Carolina by Dr. Rachel Mayo, an associate proofessor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University. The Witness Project’s main objective is to go into African American churches and community center to inform women that having breast cancer does not have to be a death sentence. There is a motto that everyone associated with this project knows; “In Church people witness to save souls. At the Witness Project they witness to save lives!” So in January 2008, with the help of the South Carolina Education and Missionary Young Women’s Auxiliary, 22 women in the Upstate area were trained in the two aspects of the project. The first is a Witness Role Model, a woman who is a breast cancer survivor and is willing to tell her story to other ladies. The second is a Lay Health Advisor, a woman who gives out information on breast cancer and is able to teach other women the proper technique in doing the breast self examination. This is a more comfortable enviroment for ladies to learn more about breast cancer, breast health, and ways of coming to grips with the onset of breast cancer. To date over one thousand women and men have been reached by this project, along with other ladies in the state that have been trained to do Witness Projects in their part of the state.

Prostate Cancer is also a growing concern in the African American community. We are all aware of the fact that most men do not like going to the doctor, and are not fond of having a prostate examination. The fact that African American men are contracting prostate cancer more frequently than other races and dying from it more quickly makes the work in the faith based community very important. Real Men Checkin’ It Out is a program developed by the South Carolina Office of Minority Health. Its goal is to recruit African American men over the age of forty for prostate cancer screening and to provide prostate education. Church volunteers are trained in recruitment procedures. Healthcare professionals are brought to the church to administer the screenings. The outcomes are then tested and any man who has any abnormal result is informed and given further instructions on the next step to take.

Over the years we have heard how detrimental smoking can be to your health. Many government offices and hospitals have become smoke free, allowing employees to smoke only outside the building. Cities like Greenville have banned smoking in their downtown areas, not allowing smoking in any restaurants. It is believed that this action is happening because of the hazards of second-hand smoke. In the Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association, data from the South Carolina African American Tobacco Control Network indicates that approximately 45,000 African Americans die from a preventable smoke-related disease annually in the United States. In South Carolina, it is estimated that 640 to 1,130 South Carolina adults, children and babies die each year from second-hand smoke(Drayton, Gardner, Wilson, 2006). To eleviate this problem Mothers Eliminating Secondhand Smoke or M.E.S.S is used. This program was implemented with the cooperation of South Carolina DHEC’s Hold Out The Lifeline. Its purpose is to eliminate the use of tobacco and to curb the effects of secondhand smoke on African Americans and all other ethnicities. Churches are asked to hold educational sessions on the risks of smoking and secondhand smoke. The congreations are asked to make a pledge that they will not allow smoking in their homes or vehicles and the Pastor is asked to keep the grounds of the church smoke-free. Each church is given educational tools such as pamphlets, posters to hang in their fellowship halls, decals for their cars and signs for their churches letting everyone know that smoking is not allowed anywhere on the church grounds. Even though there are still individuals that smoke, it has been proven that when information of this type is given to them, it has a positive affect on eliminating cancer.

Getting the right information when someone is diagnosed with a disease is instrumental in helping someone to heal but preventing the disease is even more important. It is a well known fact that the United States is an obese nation. The Weight-control Information Network has stated that the estimated prevelence of adults age 20 and older who have a body mass index of 25 or higher was 68% (http://win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/index.htm). That means that two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. In 2009, South carolina had a 29.4 % obesity rate, while African Americans had a 51% higher prevalence of obesity as compared to Hispanic and Caucasian individuals (www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html). This is not only affecting adults, it is affecting our children. In surveys done from 1976-1980 and 2003-2006, the CDC showed that the increase in childhood obesity among children ages 2 – 5 has jumped from 5.0% to 12.4%; for those ages 6-11 years from 6.5% to 17.0% and for those ages 12-19 years from 5.0% to 17.6% (www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/trends.html). So how do we combat this problem? Most people recognize the fact that on any given Sunday, in any church fellowship hall in the south , can be found a group of sisters serving up fried chicken, green beans, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, rolls, poundcake and sweet tea; for some type of afternoon program. Be it the Pastor’s anniversery, the Usher board’s annual day or the church anniversery, the menu is always the same. Even though some of us have gotten a little more health conscious and have added baked chicken to the menu. The main problem here is not the menu but the preparation of these foods and the amounts that people consume. Many African American churches have kitchen or hospitality committees with ladies who have been cooking as long as the can remember with recipes that have been handed down through the generations so it is imparative that we show these ladies healthier ways to prepare dinners that still taste like “Big Mama’s”. African Americans need to understand that the words “ eating healthy” and “exercise” are not bad words. Big Mama will not backhand you in the mouth for saying these words. So with the help of the National Cancer Institute with the American Cancer Society and the Universities of North Carolina and Michigan, Body & Soul: A Celebration of Healthy Eating & Living was implemented. The goal of the Body and Soul program is to empower church members to eat 5 cups of fruits and vegetables every day for better health and to take care of their bodies as well as their spirits. It is a wellness program connecting health and spirituality developed for African American in churches (Dye, 2006). Even though guidelines have changed over the past year, this program is still important. The first part of the program is centered around a Pastor who is willing to be committed and involved. Congreations paricipate in workshops on weight control, healthy eating and portion size. They are also given lesson on healthier ways to prepare food. Messages on healthy eating and living are added to their church bulletines and websites. Financial planning and budgeting are also part of the body and soul program. By teaching people how to manage their money, this will better equip them for that trip to the grocery store. There is also a guide that gives south carolinians the location of local farmers markets so that when fruits and vegetables are in season, they can buy them directly from the farmer. Many churches also start some sort of exercise such as walking to add to the benefits of the program.

All the programs that are listed in this paper of available to any church that asked. The materials are free but may cost a little money to implement. It is time for African Americans to stop dying from diseases that are easily treated or can be somewhat prevented with proper diet and exercise. Many people believe that African American suffer from the affects of the Tuskeegee Syphillis Experiment. This was an experiment performed on mostly illiterate African American men in Alabama from 1932 to 1972. In this experiment the government gave these men syphillis in order to study the affects the disease had on them. Many African Americans do not want to be “guinea pigs”. They believe that medical professionals do not care about what happens to them, so they stay away until it is too late. In III John 1:2 it says “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth”. This verse needs to be placed in the front of every place of worship because to many African Americans are dying. Remember I Corintians 6:19-20, “ What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit which are God’s”. That verse clears things up nicely.

References

Community Perspective (Winter 2008). In Our Hands. Retrieved May 11, 2011 from

http://sccdcn.sph.sc.edu

Community Perspective (Winter 2009). In Our Hands. Retrieved May 11, 2011 from

http://sccdcn.sph.sc.edu

Drayton, R.F., Gardner M., Wilson, Tobacco related cancer disparities community

Perspective. The Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association,102(7), 171-262.

Ogden, C., & Carroll,M. (2010, June). Prevalence of obesity among children and

adolescents: United States trends 1963-1965 through 2007-2008. Retrieved

June 6, 2011 from www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/trends.html.

Statistics related to overweight and obesity (2011, March 3). Retrieved June 6, 2011 from

http://win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/index.html.

U.S. obesity trends (2011, March 3). Retrieved June 6, 2011 from

www.cdc.gov.obesity/data/trends.html.